Within the eight years since their inception, Earth Motorcycles has developed a specific affinity for traditional BMW boxers. Though the Slovakian outfit would not solely work on Beemers, over sixty % of their portfolio options BMW R100 and R80 customs.
Every boxer construct has allowed Earth to refine its method, strive new designs, and set up a signature. Now, they’ve distilled that have into one machine—a 1990-spec BMW R100R café racer that is set for manufacturing.
“Through the years of constructing numerous bikes primarily based on the R100 and R80 platforms, we have explored a variety of designs,” says Earth founder Vlado Dinga. “Every one had its personal id and plenty of nice particulars, however what most of them lacked was a holistic, helicopter-view design—a unified idea tying the bike collectively as a complete. Final 12 months, we got down to change that.”
Earth picked the 1990 BMW R100R as a donor for its mixture of basic and modern particulars. Initially launched as a road-going counterpart to the BMW R100GS, it got here with BMW’s new-at-the-time single-sided Paralever swingarm, tubeless laced wheels, and twin Brembo disc brakes up entrance. It additionally traded the standard sq. R-series valve covers for the older peanut-style gadgets, as a nod to the previous.
The overarching idea for this undertaking was to set the bike’s parts alongside a clear horizontal axis. It is the identical trick that Earth used on their last BMW boxer construct—however this time, they needed to push the idea additional.
Step one was to ditch the BMW R100R’s OEM subframe and liberate its important body of any superfluous brackets. Subsequent, the crew fabricated a modern subframe with an built-in seat pan. The subframe makes use of tubing that matches the principle body’s diameter, and includes a hidden mounting system with no seen welds or fasteners, giving the entire association a seamless really feel.
Earth topped the subframe off with a svelte saddle, that includes fake leather-based and distinction stitching of their hallmark type. The format is impossibly tidy, with a slim LED taillight neatly tucked into the kicked-up tail. A brand new YSS shock connects the subframe to the swingarm, secured by bespoke nuts.
The rear flip indicators sit decrease down—they’re a part of a Motogadget half that features a further taillight, mounted to a hugger and license plate holder meeting. One other half carried over from Earth’s final boxer construct, the assist arm for the rear cluster runs completely parallel to the subframe.
Transferring to the entrance, Earth lowered the inventory forks and fitted a 3D-printed fender. The fork yokes are customized CNC-machined items, that includes a flush-mounted steering stem nut and fork caps that match the type of the rear shock nuts. The highest yoke features a modular speedo mount that may be swapped out to accommodate 4 totally different Motogadget choices.
Earth specced this mannequin with 1” drag-style handlebars, however they provide an possibility with clip-ons, too. The bars are fitted with Motogadget grips and bar-end flip indicators, an inner throttle, and ISR levers with built-in switches. A streamlined headlight nacelle hosts a Koso LED.
Earth swapped the R100R’s GS-derived gas tank for a conventional R100 half, which they opened, cleaned, lined, and welded up with none seen seams. In addition they tweaked the tank’s mounting angle to comply with the linear geometry established by the subframe.
With the tank and tail set, Earth needed to take care of the notoriously awkward angle of the BMW’s boxer motor. To work round it, they made a forged aluminum engine cowl that ranges out the highest fringe of the block. Seen between the tank and engine are three chrome steel tubes; these host the gas strains and wiring, with an electromagnetic gas valve negating the necessity for conventional petcocks.
The group additionally rebuilt the 35-year-old boxer engine with new gaskets, seals, and sundries, cleaned the carbs ultrasonically, and changed the crankshaft bearings. The whole drivetrain was sandblasted and Cerakoted black, with choose polished particulars including distinction. The carbs now breathe by way of Okay&N filters and have new chrome steel choke knobs.
No stone was left unturned on this R100R. Earth rewired it round a Bluetooth-equipped Motogadget mo.unit blue, additionally putting in an Aliant LiFePo4 battery, a brand new regulator, an alarm, and a keyless ignition. The brakes had been handled to new discs and Venhill strains and connectors, the calipers had been Cerakoted, and the wheels had been stripped and painted.
Remaining particulars embody a full complement of chrome steel fasteners, rear-sets from Cognito Moto, and a pair of WalzWerk exhausts, that are made by the Italian specialists SC-Challenge. Avon Roadrider II tires full the package deal, signaling a motorbike that is meant to be ridden.
Resplendent in brushed aluminum with beautiful BMW Motorsport-inspired particulars, this BMW R100R café racer is already spoken for—however Earth Bikes has orders for extra within the queue, every tailor-made to its proprietor’s tastes. We will not wait to see how they end up.
Earth Motorcycles | Instagram | Photos by Marian Svitek
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